Edwin Arlington Robinson's Poetry Essay

In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” and T.R. Hummer’s poem “Glass Ceiling,” both poets share the common theme of people shielding themselves from reality for social reasons. In everyday life, there are people who want to fit in, regardless of the people they hurt. Fitting in is really important for some people, even though it does not matter for most, sometimes people do the opposite and try to standout. However, this is common in everyday life, and is a popular subject among teens. Both Robinson and Hummer present the idea of why people want to fit in with society’s standards.
In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory,” the structure consists of ten syllables per line, a four quatrain, and is a blank verse, the speaker is someone who thinks fondly of him, but does not know him personally. Richard Cory is portrayed as someone who has everything, in terms of wealth, looks, and charm. He presents himself as a strong independent man in which nothing is wrong with and his life is perfect.
In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory,” Richard has everything from what others can see, but he ends his life too soon. The fact is no one may know when someone is going through a bad time or they are not feeling well, we just assume the person is doing well because of the way the present themselves. For example, some of the poorest people on earth may not have much and we may assume their lives are miserable,, but they still manage to have a smile on their face. In T.R. Hummer’s poem “Glass Ceiling,” a son masks his mother's identity, this may be relatable to the average teen, seen as they think their parents are embarrassing. However, it was unfortunate that there time together was cut short, but as a result, he never got the chance to reveal her true identity. Similarly, both of the poets mask identity, in order for the people around them to “accept”